Nemanja Bjelica | Forward

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Recent News

Flip Saunders stated during Nemanja Bjelica's introductory press conference, that the reason they were drawn to him was his ability to come in and make an impact right away.

Saunders went on to say that Bjelica was probably NBA-ready about two years ago, and that he can do things on the basketball court that other players on the roster can't, so it sounds like Bjelica could be getting consistent minutes right out the gate. He is, however, behind Kevin Martin and Andrew Wiggins on the depth chart, so that puts a cap on his upside. Jul 15 - 1:33 PM

The reigning Euroleague MVP will sign a three-year, $12 million deal to join the Timberwolves. We'll keep an eye on the 27-year-old as training camp begins, but Bjelica may need some NBA seasoning before he makes an impact for fantasy owners. Jul 14 - 1:49 PM

The Timberwolves have agreed to terms with Nemanja Bjelica on a three-year deal.

The Wolves were able to get a buyout worked out with Fenerbache and they'll have the Serbian forward this season. The Wolves had some serious issues at power forward last season, but they're a little better this year with Karl-Anthony Towns. Although, he was the Euroleague MVP last season, so he might be able to gather some playing time. We'll keep an eye on him. Jul 6 - 2:28 PM

Nemanja Bjelica reportedly exercised an out clause with Fenerbache Ulker of Turkey on Wednesday, and he appears set to come to the states to play for the Wolves.

There was a report on Tuesday that said Bjelica was unlikely to play in summer league, but hopefully this news changes that. Head coach Flip Saunders believes that Bjelica has the ability to play small forward and power forward in the NBA, but he will likely be stuck behind Andrew Wiggins in the rotation. Jul 1 - 8:50 AM

Depth Charts

Ricky Rubio said that he is trying to strengthen all of the muscles around his troublesome left ankle.

"I’ve been doing a lot of rehab, and I keep going forward," Rubio said. "For the first three months [after surgery], I was doing low-impact work in the gym, working out my upper body, working on my core strength. I go to the gym and the weight room, spend like an hour and a half over there, just working on my core, trying to stay healthy. Then, another hour to get my ankle strength back and [work on] all the muscles [around it].​" Rubio was limited to just 22 games last season, but all signs point to him being ready in time for training camp.

It's unknown how far along he is from his April surgery, but this is a good sign. The Wolves will likely be very careful with Pekovic after learning their lesson last season. He will have his minutes kept in check and isn't worth drafting in standard leagues.